DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for adult-onset Still's disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 7-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAdult-onset Still's disease maps to a 7-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
No approved-drug candidate for adult-onset still's disease is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
Molecular view
interleukin 1 beta (IL1B) — IL1B is one of the genes genetically linked to this disease in Open Targets — shown as context, not as a drug target we're pursuing: no approved-drug candidate for this disease is yet corroborated in the literature we found.
Loading structure…
helix sheet 2sdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5R8Q · 1.23 Å · ligand 1-methyl-N-{[(2S)-oxolan-2-yl]methyl}-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (JGY). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Adult-onset Still's disease is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown cause, diagnosed through clinical criteria such as high spiking fever, arthralgia, rash, and sore throat, with no single diagnostic test. Laboratory findings often include markedly elevated ferritin, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, while antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor are usually negative, though a 2023 case report describes a patient with positive antinuclear antibodies who still met Yamaguchi criteria. A 2022 case report details a middle-aged woman with ferritin above 1500 ng/L (normal 14–233) and fever of 39.8°C, who received intravenous methylprednisolone 40 mg every 12 hours for one week, then a tapering regimen; after half a month her fever and rash subsided and other symptoms gradually relieved.
Treatment aims to minimise inflammation and halt progression. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have limited efficacy, so glucocorticoids are used together with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. A 2019 clinical case describes a patient whose disease was resistant to therapy with tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors and interleukin-6 inhibitors; biological agents including interleukin-1 inhibitors are reserved for standard therapy-resistant cases. A 2009 review notes that novel approaches such as anti-tumour necrosis factor blockade and monoclonal antibodies are promising, but provides no controlled trial data.
No controlled trials have established optimal dosing or sequence of biologics, and the 2009 review states the disease has heterogeneous pathology and diverse prognoses. The evidence base consists of case reports and narrative reviews; what is missing are randomised trials, validated biomarkers to stratify patients, and funding for prospective studies that could compare glucocorticoid-sparing strategies or define which biologic class works for which subset.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Indian Journal of Medical Sciences · 2009 · 24 citations
Adult - onset<i>Still′s disease</i>: A review
AbstractOBJECTIVE:This article is an attempt to review recent literature regarding pathogenesis and clinical and laboratory findings in adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD).MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search was conducted in PubMed and Ovid for English language publications, using individual or linked search terms "adult-onset Still's disease," "adult Still's disease," "Still's disease," "AOSD," and other related terms, from 1996 to 2009, and the clinically relevant articles were subsequently selected.RESULTS: More than 1000 titles were reviewed by the authors, and the most important concepts were selected from 143 full-text articles.CONCLUSION: Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology and pathogenesis, usually presenting with high spiking fever accompanied by systemic manifestations.The disease is an entity with heterogeneous pathology; and diverse suggested etiologies, clinical manifestations and prognoses.There is no single diagnostic test for AOSD; rather, the diagnosis is based on a set of criteria, the most important of which are indeed clinical, but they also include paraclinical ones.Treatment aims at both minimizing inflammation and halting disease progression.For the former, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have limited efficacy; so glucocorticoids in conjunction with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are also used.Novel therapeutic approaches such as anti-tumor necrosis factor blockade and monoclonal antibodies are promising.
Case Report of a Female Patient with Adult-onset Still's Disease and Review of The Literature.
AbstractBACKGROUND: Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), which presents many non-specific symptoms, such as rash leukocytosis, spiking fever, and sore throat, is a rare auto inflammatory disease. Other clinical features that are frequently observed include lymphadenopathy, arthralgia, serositis, splenomegaly, and hepatomegaly. Laboratory tests show high levels of C-reactive protein, ferritin, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate reflecting the systemic inflammatory process in AOSD patients. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a middle-aged woman with a high fever (39.8 C), sore throat, rashes on limbs with pruritus, mainly at the joints (elbow, knee, and ankle), muscle aches, dizziness, infirmity, weakness, and poor appetite without arthralgia. The ferritin level was above 1500 (normal value: 14-233) ng/L. Antineutrophil, antinuclear antibodies, and rheumatoid factor were negative. Combining the symptoms such as fever, rash, stress-induced acute inflammation, arthritis, and ferritin levels, the patient was eventually diagnosed with adult Still's disease. She received methylprednisolone 40mg intravenously every 12 hours for one week. On the second week, the dose was reduced to 40mg in the morning and 20mg in the evening, and finally, the dose was reduced to 40mg oral intake in the morning and 8mg in the evening. After half a month of treatment, the patient's high fever and skin rashes subsided, and the other symptoms also gradually relieved. CONCLUSIONS: A case of a middle-aged woman diagnosed with adult Still's disease is reported, and the possible pathogenesis and treatment of the disease are discussed. This case highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely treatment of adult Still's disease to prevent potentially fatal complications.
Paving a Shorter Path Towards Diagnosis: A Case on Adult Onset Still’s Disease from Pakistan
AbstractAdult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare clinical entity with unknown etiology, characterized by arthritis, fever, erythematous rash, and other systemic presentations. We report a case of a 21-year-old male who presented with high spiking fever, dry cough, generalized body ache, arthralgia, and an erythematous rash. He was eventually diagnosed to have AOSD based on the Yamaguchi criteria, after a month of visiting three different healthcare facilities and receiving two misdiagnoses and treatment regimes not specific to his diagnosis. The patient immediately responded to prednisoloneand was healthy upon discharge.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH · 2023 · 0 citations
ADULT ONSET STILLS DISEASE WITH POSITIVE ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES-A CASE REPORT
AbstractAdult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare and complex systemic inammatory disorder that presents with a myriad of symptoms, making diagnosis challenging. Here is a case report of a 43-year-old female presented with fever, joint pains, and rash. The patient exhibited a unique combination of positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and markedly elevated ferritin levels. Hence the patient was diagnosed with adult onset Stills disease based on Yamaguchi criteria. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and responded well to the treatment.
Modern Rheumatology Journal · 2019 · 0 citations · open access
A clinical case of adult-onset Still's disease resistant to therapy with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors and interleukin-6 inhibitors
AbstractThe basis of the clinical picture of adult-onset Still's disease is a triad of symptoms, includingfever, arthralgia/arthritis, and characteristic rash called «Still rash». The first line of therapy includes glucocorticoids, synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; biological agents, such as tumor necrosis factor a inhibitors and interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 inhibitors, are used in standard therapy-resistant cases.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
DeCure is a research and publication project, not medical advice and not a treatment. "DeCure for X" describes a research goal, not a claim that a cure exists. Backing a cure is a contribution to fund the research — it is not an investment, and confers no yield, royalty, equity or IP ownership. Papers are published open-access by the DeCure.ai DAO.
